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My eyes reflected the vibrant blue sky as my boots scuffed across the smooth concrete of the wall. It was a lazy sort of sky; the kind that makes you want to recline on the grass and watch the clouds drift slowly overhead. If you were to look at a picture of the scene, you might mistake it for summer. Vibrant green leaves still clung to their branches, ignorant to the steadily approaching winter.  I'd once heard the children lamenting about the "oranges and yellows" of picture books— At Grace Field, the change to the foliage came suddenly; from green to brown in a matter of days.

A rush of wind whipped my white blond hair to the air, and as I lowered my gaze I was greeted with a familiar face. I must have made some noise in my approach, as Norman took a step back, surprise passing through his eyes. When recognition took its place, a distant sort of smile made its way to his face.

"You came," he said.

"That's what she..." I cleared my throat, glossing over that quickly with a grumble. "I said I would."

Norman winced. "Sorry. You did."

I wandered over to the side of the cliff, peering over the edge. "Deep and dark as shit, ain't it?"I grinned slowly, my eyes sliding to his. "Just like my soul." 

Norman stared back at me blankly, opening his mouth and then closing it again.

"Wrong place, wrong time..." I said solemnly. "My bad."

Shaking his head with a press of his lips, the albino boy turned again to the chasm. How could he help his family surpass this impossible obstacle? That was the single question on his mind, as his thick brows lowered over his thinned eyes, scouring the distant cliff. I could tell the world around him had faded away, as he searched the depths of his intelligence for an answer that for now evaded his grasp.

"The cliff," he said. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, vowing to cut it as soon as possible. "I didn't want to discourage anyone," I said. To conceal a lie of omission, your instinct will be to tell a believable truth. But people want to feel they've caught you off guard when they give you tricky questions. The simpler your response, the deeper they'll try to look beneath it. When it comes to someone as intelligent as Norman, that's something you must avoid. So throw in a little ramble! A little uncomfortable explanation! A little bit of... juice?

Nope. Hate that. Spice? Better, I guess. Throw in a little spice.

"Plus, I planned to tell you earlier, but since you had a traitor..." I hastened at his surprise, stumbling over my next words. "Emma told me! I didn't want to risk being discovered, so I didn't want to give information that could be traced back to me, you know..."

Of course, at the time, my "spice" was mostly unintentional. But with good practice, it's something you can learn to mimic with certainty. If this new life taught me anything, it was how to get good at lying.

"Emma..." Norman sighed, a bittersweet smile finding his face. "She's too trusting. So that's how you figured out Ray, huh?"

"That was just a guess," I said, waving my hands before me. "I mean, I was eavesdropping from the wall when he found out, and he seemed to come to terms with everything a little too fast, so..."

Norman's lips were pursed together. Beneath his skepticism, a sort of embarrassment glowed his cheeks. "You were there for that, too?"

What's he all bashful about? The wall, that day... My eyes lit up gleefully as I realized.  I slid a few steps away from the ledge, announcing in a sing-song tone, "Because I like her! I like Emma, so I want her to always be smiling."

The boy flushed to his ears, shoulders raising to his chin. "You weren't supposed to hear that!" he said.

I shrugged. "Too late, Mr. Pleasant. 

"Now, you want a tour, or not? I've got places to be."

Taking in a breath, Norman's hesitance lowered with his shoulders. He sighed. "All right."

We began walking along the wall, settling into a long stretch of quiet echoed by a stillness in the air. Norman looked distant in mind, but I suppose it was to be expected. He had a lot to think about. Still, I couldn't take it.

"So," I hummed, disrupting the peace, "What can you tell me about them? Your family. I want to be sure I'm prepared after the escape, so lay it on me!" Really, I just wanted to get him talking. Partly to fill the silence, and partly because I couldn't stand that look on his face.

"Well," Norman began, a distance to his voice as his eyes trailed across the horizon. "You know Emma. Yesterday you met Ray, the eldest, and Gilda and Don – they're a year younger." Though it was tentative, talking about his family brought a small smile to Norman's face. There was a sadness concealed behind his smile and bittersweet recollections, still he spoke easily of his siblings and held them so dearly and close to his heart. At first, he simply gave little tidbits of information on each child – little habits he thought might be helpful for me to know, but at some point, it turned to something more of storytelling.

It's not like we were close. I think he just wanted someone to listen as he recalled his life for the last time – It didn't matter who the listener was. Nevertheless, I was happy to be there for him. So I pretended not to see the tears he hastily dried as he realized those fond moments would soon come to an end.

I gazed across the gap with a discontented sigh. Norman and I had found the place where the other side of the cliff grew closest to the wall – it was a spot halfway between plant four and plant three; unfortunately quite far from us over at plant two.

"Timing it correctly will be a hassle," I grumbled. "If we leave too late, we won't make it in time, but if we leave too early, we'll trigger the alarm before you're ready..."

Norman nodded along, his hand raised to his chin. "We can construct a bolus-like instrument out of spare rope and some rocks relatively easily. Training someone to throw a line across without alerting Isabella will be the larger challenge...

"With Isabella's attention focused on Emma and Ray, Don's probably the best fit," he concluded, trailing off as he looked my way. "If we take into account..."

"I'll train one of our own," I finished. "Actually, maybe two. If we can get enough lines across, we can make up for triggering the alarm quickly by crossing faster."

"That'll work," he agreed, and soon began again. 

"You're rather strange," he said.

I smiled crookedly, folding my arms over my chest. Those weren't the words I'd expected from his mouth. "Thanks?"

"That's not..." He leaned back on his heels, and as his eyes flicked from the sky back to me, there was a doubting intensity amidst the cool blue of his irises.

"For a stranger, you seem to care a lot about our escape," he said.

I snorted. "Maybe I'm just as compassionate as Emma."

"Somehow, I don't think that's exactly the case," Norman said. Though his expression remained stoic as ever, this time there was a playful light to his eyes.

"Well if that's the case," I started back down the wall with a snicker barely concealed on my lips. "For someone so skeptical, you sure seem to be letting me in on your plan rather easily."

"Maybe I'm just as trusting as Emma," he replied, stepping to my side.

"Somehow," I said, "I don't think that's exactly the case."

Morning stretched on to afternoon, as the sun hung directly overhead. We were almost back to plant 3 when Norman paused mid step.

"You know more than you're letting on, don't you?"

I linked my fingers behind my back, rocking back on my heels. "Perhaps," I said, my internal panic concealed behind a knowing smile. "But even if you suspect that, I doubt you'll do anything about it. You think your friends are smart enough to use what I know to their benefit."

As he brushed past me, Norman's subtle yet self-satisfied grin was clear as day. "Glad we understand each-other."

With a roll of my eyes and a grimace, I trailed after him. "Asshole," I muttered. Damn you for being a genius. One of these days, my heart's going to stop.

It was soon time to part.

When Norman extended a hand toward me, his features were formed in that ever-pleasant smile. A perfect mask of emotion. It was impossible to truly get a read on – Or perhaps I simply hadn't known him long enough to decipher it yet.

"I had a nice time," he said.

I took his hand with a nod. "Me too. I liked hearing about everyone..."

Norman used the grip on my hand to pull me into an unexpected hug. 

My breath stilled in my lungs.

"Thank you," he said softly. "I don't know why, but... Knowing you're looking out for them brings me a little comfort."

The only sign of Norman's internal terror was the slight strain of his voice on the endnotes. With each passing minute, he grew a little closer to his impeding death, and with each passing minute, he grew a little better at hiding how deep his fear ran.

I slowly wrapped my arms around him. He had a thin frame, even if he was taller than me by almost a head. It was easy to forget he was only eleven years old. 

"Sorry I can't do more," I said.

He pulled away with the barest shrugs. "Don't be," he said, and there came a small twinkle to his eyes. "Though the thought does intrigue me... If I had asked for you to help me escape alone today, would you have?"

I considered the thought for a moment. Then, with a smile, I answered honestly. 

"No."

"I thought so," he sighed. "Yeah, I get it."

The air was a little stiff. We were pretty much strangers, after all.

"Thanks again," Norman said. 

I delivered a shove to his shoulder. "Stop thanking me. It's embarrassing."

"Right."

"And, Norman?"

He hummed, looking back my way.

"Mass-genocide and owls? Not the aesthetic. Got it?"

The boy smiled crookedly, his head tilting to one side. "Got it...?"

"Right," I said, pulling an envelope from my pocket. "Give this to Emma, will you?"

"Sure." He took the letter gingerly, glancing from it to me. "That's everything?"

"That's everything."

With a stern nod and a deep breath, Norman seemed to collect his nerves. A peaceful smile settled across his features, and he nodded briefly. "See you, Y/N," he said, and then faltered ever so slightly. "Well... you get what I mean."

I raised my hand with a wave. "See you, Norman."

I watched him scale down the wall wistfully, turning around only when he was out of view. 

"See you..." I muttered, rubbing the back of my head. "Was I too obvious?"

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